Share Random Acts of Helpfulness to Teachers Making a Difference
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5th-8th, 2015, the SoCal Honda Dealers and the Guys in Blue once again celebrated the efforts of five deserving school teachers who make school an unforgettable and meaningful experience for their students, and whose impact goes well beyond the classroom.
With California’s schools facing a series of unique challenges with more English learners and students that come from low-income families*, honoring those teachers who are making a difference in their communities is just one more way the SoCal Honda Dealers are helping out.
Throughout Teacher Appreciation week,the Helpful Honda teams brought a very special Random Act of Helpfulness to outstanding teachers across the region, to say thanks for making a difference. With the help of school officials on the “inside,” the Guys in Blue surprised a teacher a day during their routine schedules, whether they were teaching in their classrooms or attending a school assembly. Based on the teacher’s unique strengths and academic efforts, each teacher was surprised with their wish list of supplies ranging from a brand new music room and much-needed technology to gardening supplies and reading materials.
WATCH SOCAL HONDA’S TEACHER APPRECIATION HONOREES GET SURPRISED BY THE GUYS IN BLUE:
DAY 1:
MR. AARON STANLEY // West Athens Elementary School in Los Angeles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Mr. Aaron Stanley has been employed by LAUSD for over 15 years and dedicates his time after school hours to teach Music Academy to 5th grade students without any compensation; and, without a music room. He volunteers so much of his time to give students an opportunity to learn and play instruments, and his students are incredibly grateful, often seen practicing the guitar during their recess. Mr. Stanley also teaches his students chess after school, again with no extra compensation, and many of the items are purchased with his own money since the school has limited resources. He was also only one of 2 teachers who received “Most Effective” in both Mathematics and Language Arts in Standardized Testing, based on 167 students taught over the course of 7 years.
The Guys in Blue decided to give Mr. Stanley the music room he always wished for, and worked with Principal Ruth Castillo to transform a school storage room into his dream music room with over $5,000 worth of instruments and music room supplies to help him give his students even more opportunity to reach for their dreams, experience and learn from music.
DAY 2:
MRS. ANGIE BOHANNON // Yucca Elementary in Palmdale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Angie Bohannon lives by the mantra “Be the Change” for her at-risk kids. Yucca Elementary serves a socio-economically disadvantaged community with approximately 98% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. Mrs. Bohannon has been known to spend her own money to provide students with clothing, food, furniture, and daily necessities to ensure that her class receives the basics in order to achieve academic success. Ms. Bohannon also dedicates a lot of her personal time to Yucca and its students for the Bully Free committee, as a grade level lead and an ELA facilitator.
The Guys in Blue were thrilled to surprise Ms. Bohannon during a Teacher Appreciation assembly on Tuesday, May 5th, with $5000 worth of much needed iPads; a reading nook filled with books; and other basics supplies to help her kids thrive.
DAY 3:
MR. JAY ESTABROOK // North High School in Torrance
https://www.youtube.com/
Jay Estabrook is an extraordinary and highly creative science teacher who takes his kids to landfills, water treatment facilities and national parks to complement his classroom teaching and deepen students’ understanding of important subjects like how we are using our scarce resources. With his support and guidance, students learn to look at the world through the eyes of a scientist and conservationist, using the scientific method as they consider changes that are taking place on Earth. Mr. Estabrook was also selected as the 2014-15 District High School Teacher of the Year and as the Torrance Unified School District Teacher of the year, representing all TUSD teachers.
The Helpful Teams caught Mr. Estabrook off guard when they popped into a teacher luncheon, and presented him with $5,000 worth of plants and gardening supplies to rebuild a native plant garden. His students and family also joined the Guys in Blue to show their support for him!
DAY 4:
MR. PAUL FLORES // Sycamore Elementary in Orange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Paul Flores is an inspiring 5th grade teacher at Sycamore Elementary who believes that students from low-income families should have access to opportunities such as sports, tutoring, and enrichment programs outside of the school day. In an effort to help provide these services, Mr. Flores generously gives his time afterschool to make these programs possible. He gives up his personal lunch time to help parents of any student to learn how to use technology to support their child’s learning at home; voluntarily coaches the Sycamore flag football team engaging students in a culture of teamwork and sportsmanship; and has created an innovative way of offering afterschool math tutoring in the form of a chess club. Through engaging games of chess, students build proficiency in the use of strategic mathematical reasoning. As a result these students are developing the skills they will need to be successful in the 21st Century.
Technology is what Mr. Flores needed most, so the Guys in Blue crashed an outdoor assembly to surprise him with a digital upgrade: iPads, an iPad cart and other basic supplies. His wife and other school officials joined the Guys in Blue to honor all of efforts!
DAY 5:
MRS. JENNIFER KARPINSKI // Summit High School in Fontana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Jennifer Karpinski is a health teacher who inspires students to make healthy choices and has even formed a school wide “student helping students” group to help kids implement healthy life changes. Her enthusiasm for teaching is evident when she is mentoring high school students to make smart decisions for their future. Mrs. Karpinski works diligently to bring real life examples, guest speakers, and content that is relatable to her student population in order to equip them with the tools to be successful both in high school and beyond through character development and soft job skills. She also spends numerous hours afterschool working to mentor students especially with the Freshmen Intervention program. Being the advisor for Link Crew, TMC 5:14 Christian Club, and Interact Club she makes a huge impact at Summit High School.
The Guys in Blue surprised Mrs. Karpinski and her students in the middle of class with $5,000 worth of school supplies, such as paper, markers, pens, and scissors as well as a new computer and printer; all of which she “secretly” asked for.
Check out all 2015 Helpful Honda Teacher Appreciation Winner Videos on SoCal Honda Dealer’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.
WHY? Celebrating teachers who make a difference is one of many ways the SoCal Honda Dealers are giving back to communities across Southern California and continuing their commitment to helpfulness. Since January, the Guys in Blue have: helped over 200 homeless pets find forever homes at the Helpful Honda Pet Adoptions; surprised thousands of residents with complimentary roses on Valentine’s Day; provided residents with reusable shopping bags during Earth Month; and more. The Guys in Blue bring Random Acts of Helpfulness to local communities throughout the year in many different ways — from picking up litter in neighborhood parks, carrying and loading groceries for shoppers, handing out water on hot days; to surprising sports fans at Dodgers and Angels games with complimentary seat upgrades and souvenirs, and spreading helpfulness to families at the LA Zoo. Why? Because it’s their job to be helpful.
* according to CACS.org
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Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.